Oneshot: Masks
by colouredred
Summary: For most of his life, he was alone. But so was she; the little lamplighter. They hide themselves under masks, yet when they meet, very soon the cracks begin to show. Human!No-Face/OC


**So, I haven't been very active of late and this was sitting around, waiting to be finished. Now it is.**

**Note: This is post-movie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Spirited Away' or anything related to it. Hikaru (my OC) is mine.**

* * *

- Masks -

_I see him._

Hikaru turned in her seat, directing her attention back to the train's interior. Darkness had fallen, and so the lights had already been lit. She had nothing more to do that night.

_Does he see me?_

Always, she would wonder that. Could he, when hidden by a mask, truly see? Perhaps Hikaru would never know, as even if she did ask, the spirit had no voice to explain himself with.

Given Hikaru was so talkative, she found that incredibly sad.

No eyes, no mouth and no true body. He was justly named; No-Face.

The train lurched to a stop before the dirt station, and Hikaru jumped up. Her grin was broad, her arms already swinging about in her glee.

"I'll see you tomorrow night!" she yelled into the train.

Despite receiving no reply, Hikaru was not at all disconcerted. Instead, she jumped from the train and onto the Sixth Stop. It hadn't always been this way – typically, Hikaru would continue to live on the train – but a single offer of good will had changed that habit months ago.

When Hikaru drew level with No-Face – though not entirely so, as she was a head shorter than her fellow spirit – she flashed him a brilliant smile.

"Hi. Nice to see you again!" she cheered.

A faint smile lifted the shadowy corners of No-Face's mask-mouth, and he hummed his reply. Hikaru, not bothered by being unable to understand him, began to skip forward. She loved this new life.

Every day, she rode the spirit-train. Every day, she lit the lights. Every day, she looked the same. And now, every night, she slept in a bed, and she ate with friends. It was more than she had ever hoped for.

"Come on, slow-poke!" Hikaru called back to No-Face.

Some might have called him a monster, but that was not what Hikaru thought. Rather, she believed that the spirit had become greedy, and he had taken what was not his.

But he had nothing now.

When Zeniba's house came into view, the lights flooding the ground surrounding, a little shock of excitement rippled through Hikaru. It always did.

"This house is always so light." She told No-Face.

His 'head' bobbed in agreement, accompanied by a murmur of agreement. Hikaru tossed back her pale hair, rolling her eyes at No-Face's constantly complying state.

As No-Face only continued to slide on towards the door, Hikaru began giggling. And then, when No-Face opened the door with slim, inky arms, Hikaru began to laugh.

"You're too kind." She declared, bobbing her head towards him.

Hikaru bounded forward into the house, spotting Zeniba almost immediately. Before the older woman knew it, Zeniba had been captured in a hug.

"Alright, alright." She huffed, exasperated by Hikaru's endless enthusiasm.

"It's a good night." Enthused the younger spirit, springing away to sit down at the table.

"Is it?" Zeniba asked, raising a brow. "Shut the door, No-Face."

"Don't mind her." Hikaru added apologetically.

No-Face didn't appear to be bothered by the words, but given he couldn't really express too much emotion of his own, it wasn't that surprising.

"So…" Zeniba cut in, her wrinkle-framed eyes flashing. "I have something to ask you."

Hikaru turned towards the witch, placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward. She smiled, saying, "I'm intrigued."

"Would you be interested in breaking a curse?" Zeniba asked, to which Hikaru nodded eagerly. "Of course _you_ are." The elder snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the silver-haired girl, frowning. "Oh, and will I be paid?"

"Sush, and no."

Hikaru turned in her chair. "Well, then- you know I only do things if I get paid. If you're not going to pay me, don't tempt me." She pointed out, sorely disappointed.

"Oh, be quiet, you silly girl. Haven't you ever wondered why I keep asking?" Zeniba questioned.

Hikaru merely shrugged. "I suppose." She said half-heartedly.

_Where's the benefit in it for me?_

"It's because it's easy – just spend the day on the train. And because it's for No-Face."

* * *

At the same time the next day, she had already arrived at the Sixth Spot.

And at the same time the next day, No-Face was with her.

The difference was simple: No-Face had not been waiting for her that day, and this was because he had been with her that day.

_Where's the benefit?_

But Hikaru had still agreed. She liked No-Face. He helped her, even though no one else would.

So maybe that was it; her answer.

"Today was nice." Hikaru decided. "But I think I say that about every day."

She looked towards No-Face, her muddy eyes peering out from underneath a fringe, and received a smile from a painted mouth.

"I _think_ you're agreeing." Hikaru sighed.

She took a single step forward, yet paused for her companion to catch up. It gave her a moment to dust off her blue skirt.

As No-Face drew level with her, Hikaru began to ramble on. A bad habit, really.

"You know, I was really surprised when Zeniba explained your situation to me. But it makes sense. The greedy was consumed by greed – I hope that doesn't happen to me. Oh, but not that it's a bad thing. You're really lovely to be with, No-Face, it's just I sometimes get the feeling our conversations are a tiny bit one-sided."

At this point, Hikaru was more joking than anything.

"If you had a voice, I'd ask you to explain how it all happened. But it is quite poetic; you tried to take that which wasn't yours, have more than your own, and now you are cursed to have nothing."

Hikaru paused, glancing up at No-Face. She felt a sudden, sweeping urge to touch his mask.

_Is he warm?_

"I guess," and Hikaru took his hand and pulled him forward, "that I'd want to know your name the most."

Then she realised what she had done; she had taken his hand.

And for the teeniest, tiniest moment, Hikaru imagined something fell to the ground with a small clatter. But the hand of No-Face that had been within her own was gone.

Hikaru paused. Frowned.

"Your hand's warm." she said.

Hikaru wheeled around, and the world was such a blur to her that she felt herself grow a little dizzy. Behind her, she saw a black back.

"Is that a back? I spy a back." She muttered.

A back with broad, slender shoulders and a black, draped robe hanging over them. It was floor length, and faded to translucent as it reached the ground. Hikaru realised it looked rather like No-Face's body.

_I think he's warm._

The smaller spirit ran forward, flashing around to the front of No-Face. She looked upwards, towards the face, and noted first the still-existing mask held over the face. Long fingers curled around the edge, holding there so as to disguise what was beneath.

Slowly, so that it was done in such a length of time Hikaru had time to take three deep, calming breaths, she reached up. No-Face's arm was clothed in black cloth, but underneath, Hikaru felt the unmistakably human-modelled body that matched her own. Gently, so as to not do anything startling, she lowered his arm.

"Well." and she smiled.

No-Face smiled back. But it wasn't with a black mouth. It was with lips that were thin, and chaffed and might just probably bleed at the first touch. By normal standards, he would have been handsome, but Hikaru couldn't focus on that.

_He has…a nose._

"You have a nose." She giggled. "And eyes. And you might have ears."

Hikaru thought about reaching up, brushing back the long length of ink-black hair that fell over his face. Violet eyes shone with a piercing look – and Hikaru knew she would grow to find it usual, but for the moment, it remained incredibly disconcerting. Over his cheeks – _cheeks?_ – were the purple markings echoed on the mask.

"And a head. And shoulders; nice shoulders, No-Face. And…no toes? Do you have toes?" Hikaru asked.

No-Face nodded. "I…have toes somewhere."

Later, she would apologise about her actions, but it was at that point in time Hikaru completely lost it. She couldn't stop, or hold it back, nor do anything to quell the laughter bubbling up within her. To do so would have caused her to choke, so instead, Hikaru found herself doubling over and gasping for air.

Just what it was she found so highly amusing, no one would ever know. Not even she knew.

All Hikaru could think was, _No-Face has a face. No-Face has a face. No-Face has a face!_

Of course, No-Face also had shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, a chest and, presumably, legs, yet Hikaru wasn't too concerned.

When she felt a pair of hands slid underneath her arms, Hikaru did her best to calm herself. She looked upwards, taking in No-Face's new face once more. Her legs began to steady themselves, and very soon, Hikaru abandoned her friend's help.

She smiled, took a step back, and looked him over.

"I think now's a good time." She decided.

"Good time for…what?" asked No-Face, whose voice was gentle and sweet and both alike and unlike to what she had imagined it to be.

"To introduce ourselves." Hikaru declared, not bothering to resist the smile bursting out across her features. "Properly, this time."

"Oh." Said No-Face, before nodding slowly.

Hikaru bounced back, and the two looked each other over as if for the first time.

"Hi." Said No-Face, managing another smile.

"Hi." Replied Hikaru. "I'm Hikaru, but you can call me 'Karu' if you want. I'm a light-spirit, and the lighter of the train when it gets dark. I really like the colour blue, but I think I also like purple."

"And I was called No-Face, but my real name is Kaonashi. I was cursed but it broke when I developed an emotion of my own. I also like the colour blue."

Hikaru took a step forward, and Kaonashi spun around with her.

She said, "It's very nice to meet you, Kaonashi."

He took her hand.

He said, "And it's very nice to meet you, Hikaru."

* * *

**I came up with this idea a while ago, when I saw some amazing art of a humanized No-Face. I've always liked him, and wondered about No-Face, so I wrote this. The idea behind it is that No-Face is actually just under a curse/spell that lets his greed control him, until that is all he is and he has nothing else left, with almost no emotions of his own. To break the curse, No-Face had to develop something like a personality of his own, or express/feel an emotion other than greed. It's up to you what kind of love No-Face and Hikaru share.**

**I'm not entirely happy with it, and if the ending seems a little weird, It's because I only wrote it to finish the story off as I had no idea how to do that, exactly. **

**Yeah, sorry about the writer's block but oh, well.**

**It's finished!**

**Note: If you want to see what my idea of the human No-Face looks like, see the cover image. Also, if you know who this image belongs to and want it taken down, or want me to source the artist, PM me.**


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